Swing Diego

Swing Dancing

Originating in the 1920s, swing dancing is a group of dances created by the swing style of jazz music. Swing music was formed from jazz music that used a rhythm section which maintains a brass sections consisting of saxophones, trombones, trumpets and different levels of tempos. The collaboration of all this was s strong rhythmic groove.

The majority of swing dances begun in the African American communities, other dances were developed by other ethnic groups and Anglo Americans. There are several forms of swing dancing, including the Charleston, Whip, Push, Pony Swing, Imperial Swing, Black Bottom, Lindy Hop, Dixieland Jazz, just to name a few.

In every swing dance community, the dance style is influenced by its culture and with different definitions of swing dancing and swing music to convey it.

Salsa Dancing

Sexy, beautiful and smooth is the best way to describe salsa dancing. The word ‘salsa' means sauce, and associates with spiciness in Latin food, thus meaning ‘spicy' or ‘hot' dancing. It is an informal dance with roots from Latin and North America as well as the Caribbean, namely Puerto Rico and of course, Cuba . Nevertheless it originated from a mixture of conventional Cuban dance forms. It came to public eye by Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.

Salsa music is mostly a mixture of Spanish and Caribbean that integrates a variety of genres, such as mambo and chachacha. It is the most popular music played in Latin clubs and represents Latinos at their best. Usually danced with a partner, there are also distinguished solo dances and some salsa dances are danced in groups of couples. Salsa is not only improvised and used for dancing socially; it is also a performance dance. Ultimately though, to dance salsa, one usually occupies a fixed area on the floor and moves to the rhythm of the music and you will find that modern salsa has elements of funk, reggae, jazz, samba and even hip hop. There are also different styles, depending on the area, with New York , Puerto Rico and Colombo representing their own approach, to name a few.

Ballroom Dancing

Ballroom dancing is enjoyed socially and competitively internationally. Originating from the Western World, it refers to a set of partner dances. It is a very commercial dance that's broadly enjoyed in performance and entertainment.

Historically, it refers to formal social dancing, with elite referring to it as ‘social dancing' whilst the lower classed called it ‘folk dancing'. The two most common styles of dancing are the “American Smooth” and the “American Rhythm” which are widely renowned.

Ballroom dancing is basically when partners, a leader and follower, are in physical contact with either their lower or upper bodies whilst dancing. Both must respond with this contact and distinguish their next move through the leader's guide. Other styles of dance are usually free, with physical contact an option but in ballroom dancing, touching is a necessity. Best way to learn is to attend ballroom dancing functions organized by local dancing organisations.

In the years, ballroom dancing has declined due to the precision and knowledge required to master the steps. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful thing to witness.